We first released this decidedly indelicate beer in 2012, as Stone Ruination Tenth Anniversary IPA, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of our belovedly bitter Stone Ruination IPA. Stone RuinTen IPA uses the same recklessly hoppy recipe as the 2012 release; only the name has changed, as we plan to unleash this belligerently delicious hop monster upon the public annually from now on. We packed a whopping five pounds of hops into each barrel, and cranked up the ABV to stand up to the hop onslaught. The results are glorious, and we know you'll rejoice in tasting this audacious gem of hoppy splendor once again. You're welcome.

Reviews by ESeab:

More User Reviews:

Thanks to Kevin for bringing this one by and opening it. It looks like a burnt stoplight amber color in my glass with very sharp and crisp clarity. The thin-bubbled, creamy, off-white cap grows thick and settles slowly; it leaves very nice lacing behind - something I've come to expect from basically every Stone brew now.

Huge citrus and mild tropical undertones line the first sniff; ripe-ass, juicy grapefruit, some pineapple, and lightly white-pepper covered citrus peels and citrus zest. No doubt that this was crafted on the West Coast with a citric hop profile like this. The hops are pretty dank, herbal, and floral; they smell of dripping wet bitterness.

As RuinTen warms up a little, the aroma warps from all hops and no malt, to some hops and a lot of malt. The malts actually become a bit overpowering if you let this sit in your glass for too long - caramel and sticky toffee malts; sweet, sweet, and sweet. Bready and full of itself; I recommend not letting RuinTen mellow for too long, though it may be a hard one to guzzle at 10.8% ABV.

The malt base is strong in the flavor up-front; toasted breads, lightly sweet caramels and a touch of toffee - a huge, lofty malt cloud upon which the huge hop profile opens up. Pungent, leafy, and full of hop oils. Just like the aroma, the initial hop flavors are super fruity; tons of citrus and grapefruit peels, candied and dashed with a bit of white pepper. A very mild onion flavor comes and goes around mid-palate or so.

The malt sweetness cuts the bitterness and keeps things balanced at first, but much like the aroma, the flavors gets a bit too "malt heavy" and almost cloyingly sweet once the brew has about 15-20 minutes to warm up. The hops take a backseat, the caramel and toffee malts jump out, and the alcohol inherits a larger phenol-like presence. The mouth on this beer is huge; thick, sticky, with a resinous and heavy mouth feel.

Had I reviewed the first half of this beer only, I would have loved it. The latter half proved to be a bit too sweet, borderline-cloying, and overpowered with malt. The hop profile was beautiful, but unfortunately it doesn't shine strong for more than 15 minutes or so. I prefer the regular Ruination to this, if only for the lighter malt bill, however this brew is still pretty solid.

A: A deep amber tinted with a glowing orange hue having excellent clarity and a persistent off-white head.

S: A big hops nose with citrus and pineapple dominating along with grapefruit, pine and some grassy notes. There is a clean malt aroma. No alcohol noticeable behind all the hops to warn about the ABV.

T: Bitter, yet smooth hop candy dominated by pineapple, orange and grapefruit. It has a high hop flavor with a moderately-high hop bitterness. There is enough malt sweetness keep the bitterness from being to assertive though the balance is well into the bitter side. The bitterness hangs on well past the dry finish without being harsh.

M: Medium-light with a moderate carbonation and smooth alcohol warming.

O: This is definitely in my top five list for Double IPA, just an outstanding beer for a hop head. The balance and smoothness of this beer while having so much hop flavor and a respectable strong bitterness is a real treat.

I normally would break this beer down, but this time, it broke me. It has it all. Color, aroma, mouthfell, flavor, complexity...I have enjoyed a lot of beers, this was one to savor, it has it all. A hop bomb with the perfect malt balance. Every sip was outstanding, and more enjoyable than the last. One the most enjoyable beers I have had, and I want another. I enjoy Stone offerings, cannot tell you how much I appreciated this one. Definitely top 5, maybe top 3. Get it, you will love it, if not send it to me.......

Poured into my Stone imperial nonic a medium clear golden with a tinge of burnt orange a frothy 1/2 finger white head atop.Drunken sharp citrus fruit in the nose, a mix of alcohol and awesome hops just what would I expect from this beer.Flavors are deeply resiny with a leather note,overripe citrus fruit lends to the deep hop presence,sweetness comes from alcohol and a bit of caramel.Wow this is big,brash and beautiful in it's intense hops and high alcohol content,not for the faint of heart by any means.I was gonna mention this beer to a few beer novice friends,I think I'll mention something else.This beer is no joke.